Atomic layer deposition bonding for heterogeneous integration of photonics and electronics

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are presented for heterogeneous integration of photonics and electronics with atomic layer deposition (ALD) bonding. One method includes operations for forming a compound semiconductor and for depositing (e.g., via atomic layer deposition) a continuous film of a protection material (e.g., Al 2 O 3 ) on a first surface of the compound semiconductor. Further, the method includes an operation for forming a silicon on insulator (SOI) wafer, with the SOI wafer comprising one or more waveguides. The method further includes bonding the compound semiconductor at the first surface to the SOI wafer to form a bonded structure and processing the bonded structure. The protection material protects the compound semiconductor from acid etchants during further processing of the bonded structure.

PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/181,868, filed Nov. 6, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/408,725, filed Jan. 18, 2017, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject matter disclosed herein generally relates to methods and systems for semiconductor manufacturing and, more specifically, to semiconductor manufacturing that includes bonding of heterogeneous materials.

BACKGROUND

Heterogeneous bonding of two different types of materials is becoming more common in optics and electronics for manufacturing integrated circuits (IC). The combination takes advantage of using materials with specialized and different properties to be combined into a single semiconductor for processing.

For example, a silicon on insulator (SOI) wafer provides low loss waveguide routing while a III-V compound semiconductor generates light efficiently for lasers, and absorbs light efficiently for modulators and detectors used in optical communication. The combination of these materials provides an ideal platform for creating photonic integrated circuits (PICs). Since the materials are dissimilar, the bond greatly influences the yield and process limitation in making these PICs. For example, in some applications, the goal is to make a highly integrated transmitter that is completely made through wafer-level scale processing.

For hybrid Si photonics, the shear strength of the bond between the compound semiconductor to the Si substrate has a great impact of device yield. Since the materials being bonded are different, separation and delamination between the materials is a common challenge to overcome. In addition, a multitude of acids are used in the fabrication of these devices to etch the compound semiconductor after bonding. However, the acids wick underneath the compound semiconductor following the Si channels and etch the bonding interface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various ones of the appended drawings merely illustrate example embodiments of the present disclosure and cannot be considered as limiting its scope.

FIG. 1 illustrates the bonding of heterogeneous materials, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates the damage to the compound semiconductor due to acid utilized during the processing of the bonded structure, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates the addition of a protection material via atomic layer deposition (ALD), according to some embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates the creation of a bonded structure by bonding the compound semiconductor and the SOI wafer, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates a compound structure without a super lattice, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 6 shows how the Al₂O₃ enhanced bonded structure provides better protection during processing, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates some results showing the improvement obtained by utilizing the protection layer, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates the yield improvement gains obtained with the Al₂O₃ layer, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method for heterogeneous integration of photonics and electronics with ALD bonding.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a method for making a bonded structure, according to some example embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example methods and systems are directed to for heterogeneous integration of photonics and electronics with atomic layer deposition (ALD) bonding. Examples merely typify possible variations. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, components and functions are optional and may be combined or subdivided, and operations may vary in sequence or be combined or subdivided. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of example embodiments. It will be evident to one skilled in the art, however, that the present subject matter may be practiced without these specific in details.

The bonded structure has problems that must be addressed during manufacturing, such as the bonding shear strength and acid damage in post-bonding processing. Some solutions solve these problems by changing the bond layer of the III-V semiconductor to InGaAsP, which is more resistant to many acid etches. However, this change also reduces the shear strength and leads to delamination prior to the acid steps. Other solutions include changes to the acid etch steps, the device artwork, or the setback from the III-V edge to the III-V devices. However, these solutions do not increase the shear strength of the bonding, they add processing time and cost, and they do not fully solve the problem of acid wicking. Further, these solutions do not allow the setback from the III-V edge to the device to be reduced, thereby limiting the shrinking of the die size.

Embodiments presented herein provide solutions for bonding an SOI wafer with a compound semiconductor (e.g., a semiconductor formed on III-V materials). Embodiments provide for adding a thin layer of protection material (e.g., Al₂O₃) to the bonding surface in the compound semiconductor (e.g., III-V based) after growth and prior to the bonding operation. In some examples, the addition of the thin layer is performed via ALD, but other deposition methods may be utilized. The Al₂O₃ protects the III-V material from acid etchants after bonding and also increases the shear strength of the bond (e.g., compared to SiO₂). In addition, the protection material results in fewer defects, higher yields, and provides the ability to make smaller optical circuits while using less material.

One general aspect includes a method including operations for forming a compound semiconductor, depositing a continuous film of a protection material on a first surface of the compound semiconductor, and forming a SOI wafer, with the SOI wafer including one or more waveguides. The method also includes bonding the compound semiconductor at the first surface to the SOI wafer to form a bonded structure and processing the bonded structure. The protection material protects the compound semiconductor from acid etchants during the processing of the bonded structure.

One general aspect includes a bonded structure including a compound semiconductor, including a continuous film of a protection material deposited on a first surface of the compound semiconductor, and a SOI wafer. The SOI wafer includes one or more waveguides, where the compound semiconductor is bonded at the first surface to the SOI wafer to form the semiconductor structure, the bonded structure being processable to pattern circuits on the compound semiconductor. The protection material protects the compound semiconductor from acid etchants during the processing of the bonded structure.

One general aspect includes a method including operations for forming a III-V based semiconductor, depositing a continuous film of Al₂O₃ on a first surface of the III-V based semiconductor, singulating the III-V based semiconductor to create epi dies, and plasma cleaning the epi dies. The method further includes operations for forming a SOI wafer, with the SOI wafer including one or more waveguides, placing the first surface of the epi dies on the SOI wafer, bonding the epi dies to the SOI wafer to form a bonded structure, removing a substrate of the epi die through grind and chemical operations, and processing the bonded structure, where the Al₂O₃ protects the epi dies from acid etchants during the processing of the bonded structure.

FIG. 1 illustrates the bonding of heterogeneous materials, according to some example embodiments. FIG. 1 shows a cross-section of a compound semiconductor 102 and an SOI wafer 104 before being bonded together. The SOI wafer 104, or silicon-on-insulator wafer, is created with a silicon base 120, a layer of SiO₂ 118 on top of the silicon base 120, and a silicon waveguide 122 that provides low-loss routing. In addition, a SiO₂ bonding layer 116 is added on top of the waveguide 122. The SOI wafer is made by forming and patterning the silicon waveguides, and then the SOI wafer is plasma cleaned. For simplicity of description, other layers and circuits in the SOI wafer are omitted, but a person skilled in the art would readily appreciate that the SOI wafer may include a plurality of circuits and layers.

Further, a compound semiconductor 102 is grown separately. In some example embodiments, the compound semiconductor 102 utilizes III-V type materials, a class of materials which produce efficient lasers, modulators, and detectors.

In some example embodiments, the compound semiconductor 102 includes a base of InP substrate and additional layers are added. In the example embodiment of FIG. 1, the layers include a InGaAs layer 110, another InP layer, a QWs layer 112, another InP layer 114, a super lattice 106, and an InP bond layer 108.

It is noted that a large III-V semiconductor may be formed and then singulated into a plurality of epi dies prior to bonding. The epi dies are referred to herein as the compound semiconductor 102, and the epi dies are bonded to the SOI wafer.

The combination of the compound semiconductor 102 and the SOI wafer 104 is desired because the silicon provides the low-loss waveguide routing and the III-V materials provide efficient light properties. Because they are different types of materials, the compound semiconductor 102 and the SOI wafer 104 are bonded together. Different oxide types of bonding materials may be used to connect the two semiconductors together.

In some example embodiments, the compound semiconductor 102 and the SOI wafer 104 are placed together and then pressure and heat are applied to bond them together. Afterwards, they may be plasma cleaned and further steps may be taken to form circuits on the compound semiconductor 102. That is, at this point, the silicon patterning is done, but the III-V patterning is still in progress. In other bonding approaches, a polymer (e.g., benzocyclobutene, commonly abbreviated as BCB) bond is used, such that the III-V is connected to the silicon using the polymer.

It is noted that the embodiments illustrated in FIG. 1 are examples and do not describe every possible embodiment. Other embodiments may utilize different, additional, or fewer layers on the compound semiconductor 102 and the SOI wafer 104. The embodiments illustrated in FIG. 1 should therefore not be interpreted to be exclusive or limiting, but rather illustrative.

FIG. 2 illustrates the damage to the compound semiconductor due to acid utilized during the processing of the bonded structure, according to some example embodiments. After the two semiconductors are bonded together, additional processing of the compound semiconductor 102 takes place. Some operations may include using acid to edge the compound semiconductor substrate 202 to reduce compound semiconductor thickness.

However, when using acid, the acid may edge at the bottom 204 of the compound semiconductor 102 or may create damage along the Si waveguide 122. Because there is damage 204 at the edge, the edges have to be removed, which limits how small the semiconductors may be.

FIG. 3 illustrates the addition of a protection material via ALD 304, according to some embodiments. In some example embodiments, a thin film of protection material 306 is deposited using ALD 304 on the compound semiconductor 102, resulting in compound semiconductor 302 with protection material 306. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a thin film deposition technique that is based on the sequential use of a gas phase chemical process. ALD is considered a type of chemical vapor deposition. A majority of ALD reactions use two chemicals, typically called precursors. These precursors react with the surface of a material one at a time in a sequential, self-limiting, manner. Through the repeated exposure to separate precursors, a thin film is slowly deposited.

Embodiments are presented herein by using Al₂O₃ as the protection material, but other dielectric materials may be used, such as SiO₂, HfO₂, ZrO₂, SiN, TiO₂, or other dielectric films. In addition, ALD is used for describing the present embodiments, but other deposition methods may be used instead, such as plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), ion beam deposition (IBD), and radio frequency (RF) sputtering.

The height of the deposition layer is in the range of 1 to 50 nanometers, although other values are also possible. In some example embodiments, a 10 nm layer is utilized.

One of the advantages of using ALD is that it improves the shear strength of the bond because, among other reasons, it provides a virtually defect free layer that is better suited for bonding. The ALD films are completely conformal in that there are no breaks in the films and no discontinuities. It is also easy to control the thickness of the film so that the layer may be as small as a single monolayer (approximately a nanometer) and all the way up to tens or hundreds of nanometers. The results from using Al₂O₃ deposited with ALD is that the bond quality is greatly improved.

FIG. 4 illustrates the creation of a bonded structure by bonding the compound semiconductor and the SOI wafer, according to some example embodiments. After the Al₂O₃ is deposited, the compound semiconductor 302 and the SOI wafer 104 are bonded together to create a bonded structure 304. For example, the two semiconductors may be bonded together by placing them together and then applying pressure and heat.

The bond forms oxides on the III-V and oxides on the silicon, and the oxides keep the compound semiconductor 302 and the SOI wafer 104 connected.

FIG. 5 illustrates a compound structure without the super lattice, according to some example embodiments. A disadvantage of incorporating the Al₂O₃ on the compound semiconductor is that the separation of the III-V from the Si waveguide is increased. The optical operations in the PIC need to transfer an optical mode (i.e. light) from one material to the other; therefore, reducing this separation is desirable.

In the photonic integrated circuits, the light is routed around the chip in silicon waveguides, and then the active optical functions, such as lasers, detectors and modulators, take place in the material. Therefore, in an active device, there is a coupling between the silicon and the III-V. The Al₂O₃ adds thickness to the gap between the silicon and the III-V, so the performance of the coupling is decreased. The smaller the gap between the silicon and the active layer of the III-V, the better the coupling between the two materials.

In some example embodiments, the solution is to decrease the distance of the optical coupling, such as by eliminating the super lattice in the compound semiconductor 502. A super lattice includes two materials which are grown one after the other in very thin layers. For example, the super lattice layers may be around 10 nm while other layers may be in the tens or hundreds of nanometers. The purpose of the super lattice is to prevent defects from moving from the bottom surface up into the material. The super lattice layer acts as a defect block mechanism and improves the reliability of the device. The removal of the super lattice makes the compound semiconductor at risk from bond defects, yet it also improves coupling performance between the Si and compound semiconductor.

However, the Al₂O₃ layer provides similar protection by moving the bond interface away from the compound semiconductor surface, therefore some defect blocking is maintained even after removing the super lattice. Meanwhile, the distance (i.e. optical confinement) from the III-V to the silicon waveguide is reduced improving coupling performance, and the quality of the bonding is also improved. Removing the super lattice is a trade-off, but overall the performance is better with the Al₂O₃ layer.

In simulations, the detector responsivity and modulator insertion loss were better with the 10 nm Al₂O₃ layer and without the super lattice compared to the compound semiconductor having the super lattice but no Al₂O₃ layer.

FIG. 6 shows how the Al₂O₃ enhanced bonded structure provides better protection during processing, according to some example embodiments. After adding the Al₂O₃ 306 to the compound structure 502, it was observed that the damage from acid utilized during etching 602 operations was greatly reduced. The damage was reduced on the edges of the compound semiconductor as well as along the silicon waveguide.

In some laboratory tests, and cited as an example without meaning to be limiting, the observed damage at the edges with a 10 nm layer of Al₂O₃ were practically eliminated. At 2 nm and at 5 nm some damage at the edge was observed, but the damage was less than without using the Al₂O₃ layer. Further, the shear strength of the bonding was also improved. More sample results are provided below with reference to FIG. 7.

FIG. 7 illustrates some results showing the improvement obtained by utilizing the protection layer, according to some example embodiments. A few tests were performed for semiconductors with and without Al₂O₃ and the damage on the edges of the bond were measured.

Capture 702 illustrates an image taken of a bonded structure without ALD Al₂O₃, and capture 704 illustrates an image taken of a bonded structure with ALD Al₂O₃ 10 nm thick. Capture 702 shows that there is damage at the edge of the bonding because there is material missing, while the bonded structure with the ALD Al₂O₃ shows no observable damage. The edges of the ALD Al₂O₃ were continuous and undamaged, and there was no under-etch.

The shear strength was also measured by checking the amount of force needed to separate the bonded structures. In some tests, the shear strength of the ALD Al₂O₃ semiconductor was about two and a half times the shear strength of the semiconductor without the Al₂O₃.

In other tests, the performance of the detector regarding light responsivity was measured for different semiconductor structures. Since the super lattice had been eliminated from the compound structure, the light responsivity was improved because the Al₂O₃ layer was thinner than the super lattice, resulting in a closer light coupling.

FIG. 8 illustrates the yield improvement gains obtained with Al₂O₃ layer, according to some embodiments. The benefits of the ALD Al₂O₃ semiconductor include: (a) reduced, or eliminated, plasma cleaning required on the III-V piece prior to bonding, which allows higher throughput; (b) smaller pieces of III-V may be bonded since the setback from III-V edge to device may be reduced; (c) reduced die size and more die per wafer, since the die size is limited currently by the III-V bond piece size; and (d) greatly reduced III-V surface defect growth after bonding.

Device 802 is a semiconductor circuit bonded without the use of Al₂O₃. The device 802 includes four pieces of compound semiconductor 806 bonded on top of the SOI wafer. Because of the damage on the edges of the compound semiconductor 806, only a reduced portion 808 may be used for the final PIC.

Device 804 includes four compound semiconductors 810 bonded on top of the SOI wafer. Because the compound semiconductor 810 is not damaged due to the protection provided by the Al₂O₃ layer, the complete compound semiconductor may be utilized for the PIC.

It is also noted that because the compound semiconductors are not damaged, it is possible to place the III-V pieces closer together, which results in smaller PICs and improved III-V usage, resulting in less waste and less cost for the III-V semiconductor. Further, since there is less waste on the III-V semiconductor, there is also less waste on the SOI wafer, resulting in reduced silicon expenses.

In some examples, it is possible to use simpler manufacturing processes because the compound semiconductor is not as sensitive to acid chemicals.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method 900 for heterogeneous integration of photonics and electronics with ALD bonding. At operation 902, the compound semiconductor material is grown, and at operation 904, the protection material is deposited on the compound semiconductor grown in operation 902. In some example embodiments, the deposition is performed utilizing ALD and the protection material is Al₂O₃, although other protection materials are also possible.

At operation 906, the III-V wafer is then singulated into small pieces for bonding to the SOI wafer. The epi die are plasma cleaned at operation 908, ensuring that the surface is very clean before bonding.

At operation 910, the SOI wafer is patterned and fabricated, including the silicon waveguides, and the SOI wafer is plasma cleaned at operation 912.

At operation 914, the epi die are placed on the SOI wafer surface, and at operation 916, pressure and heat are applied to the epi die on top of the SOI wafer to improve the bond.

From operation 916, the method flows to operation 918, where the epi die substrate is removed through grinding and chemical etch steps (with the improved performance provided by the protection material layer). At operation 920, additional steps are performed on the heterogeneously bonded structure for epi die and device patterning.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a method 1000 for making a bonded structure, according to some example embodiments. While the various operations in the flowcharts of FIGS. 9 and 10 are presented and described sequentially, one of ordinary skill will appreciate that some or all of the operations may be executed in a different order, be combined or omitted, or be executed in parallel.

At operation 1002, the compound semiconductor is formed (e.g., compound semiconductor 502 of FIG. 5). From operation 1002, the method flows to operation 1004 where a continuous film of a protection material (e.g., Al₂O₃ layer 306 of FIG. 5) is deposited on a first surface of the compound semiconductor.

Further, at operation 1006, a SOI wafer is formed (e.g., SOI wafer 104 of FIG. 5), with the SOI wafer comprising one or more waveguides 122. From operation 1006, the method flows to operation 1008 for bonding the compound semiconductor at the first surface to the SOI wafer to form a bonded structure.

From operation 1008, the method flows to operation 1010 for processing the bonded structure. The protection material protects the compound semiconductor from acid etchants during the processing of the bonded structure.

In one example, depositing the continuous film is performed by atomic layer deposition.

In some examples, the protection material is Al₂O₃. In other examples, the protection material is one of SiO₂, HfO₂, ZrO₂, SiN, or TiO₂.

In some examples, the continuous film has a height between 2 and 50 nanometers, but other heights of the protection layer are possible, such as in the range from 1 to 100 nanometers.

In some example embodiments, the compound semiconductor is a III-V wafer.

In some example embodiments, bonding the compound semiconductor to the SOI wafer further includes placing the compound semiconductor on the SOI wafer, applying pressure and heat to the compound semiconductor and the SOI wafer, and removing the pressure and heat.

In some examples, the SOI wafer includes a SiO₂ layer directly above one of the one or more waveguides, where the SiO₂ layer is placed in contact with the first surface of the compound semiconductor for the bonding.

In some examples, the compound semiconductor does not include a super lattice layer to compensate for the increased sized of the compound semiconductor with the continuous film of the protection material.

In some examples, processing the bonded structure further includes removing an epi substrate from the compound semiconductor through grind and chemical steps and device patterning on the compound semiconductor.

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implement components, operations, or structures described as a single instance. Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustrated and described as separate operations, one or more of the individual operations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that the operations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures and functionality presented as separate components in example configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single component may be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of the subject matter herein.

The embodiments illustrated herein are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed. Other embodiments may be used and derived therefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The Detailed Description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of various embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

As used herein, the term “or” may be construed in either an inclusive or exclusive sense. Moreover, plural instances may be provided for resources, operations, or structures described herein as a single instance. Additionally, boundaries between various resources, operations, modules, engines, and data stores are somewhat arbitrary, and particular operations are illustrated in a context of specific illustrative configurations. Other allocations of functionality are envisioned and may fall within a scope of various embodiments of the present disclosure. In general, structures and functionality presented as separate resources in the example configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or resource. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single resource may be implemented as separate resources. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall within a scope of embodiments of the present disclosure as represented by the appended claims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: forming a semiconductor wafer comprising a film of protection material deposited on a first side of the semiconductor wafer; separating the semiconductor wafer into a plurality of semiconductor dies; forming a bonded structure by placing the plurality of dies on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer that comprises one or more waveguides, the plurality of dies placed on the SOI wafer such that the film of protection material on the first side of each of the plurality of dies is in contact with a second side of the SOI wafer; and applying an etchant to the bonded structure, the film of protection material protecting bonds between the plurality of dies and the SOI wafer from the etchant.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the etchant is an acid etchant that patterns circuits on the plurality of semiconductor dies of the bonded structure, the film of protection material protecting the plurality of dies from the acid etchant.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the film on the plurality of dies further protects the second side of the SOI wafer from the acid etchant.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the protection material is a first dielectric material deposited on the first side of the semiconductor wafer, wherein a second dielectric material is on the second side of the SOI wafer, the first dielectric material and the second dielectric material being different types of dielectric materials.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first dielectric material and the second dielectric material are different dielectric oxide materials.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the first dielectric material is aluminum oxide.
 7. The method of claim 4, wherein the second dielectric material is silicon oxide.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the bonded structure comprises applying heat.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the heat is applied to one or more of the plurality of dies.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the bonded structure comprises applying pressure.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the pressure is applied to one or more of the plurality of dies.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the film is a vapor deposited thin film.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the vapor deposited thin film is a continuous film with no discontinuities.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the film has a height between 2 and 50 nanometers. 